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And-Ones: MVP Race, I. Thomas, Draft, I. Clark

February 17th, 2022 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

The top two finishers in last season’s MVP voting appear to be the top two candidates for this year’s award too, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Bontemps recently conducted a straw poll of 100 media members and found that Sixers center Joel Embiid narrowly – and unofficially – leads Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic in the MVP race.

As Bontemps details, Embiid received 45 first-place votes from the poll respondents, while Jokic got 43. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (nine), Suns guard Chris Paul (two), and Warriors guard Stephen Curry (one) were the other players who got first-place votes. Interestingly, Embiid was the only player to show up on all 100 five-player ballots, while Jokic was left off five.

Curry received 94 first-place votes when Bontemps conducted a similar straw poll in December, but the veteran sharpshooter has slowed down since his hot start, while players like Embiid, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo have made stronger MVP pushes.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas is expected to rejoin the Grand Rapids Gold – the Nuggets‘ G League affiliate – after the All-Star break, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Thomas had a very brief stint in Grand Rapids in December, scoring 42 points in his only NBAGL game before getting called up to the NBA. Thomas signed 10-day contracts with the Lakers and Mavericks before returning to the open market.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has published a new 2022 mock draft, while Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his top-50 big board. Both draft experts currently have Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren at No. 1 and Jabari Smith of Auburn at No. 2, with Purdue’s Jaden Ivey moving up to No. 3 ahead of Duke’s Paolo Banchero.
Veteran guard Ian Clark, who has 330 regular season appearances on his NBA résumé and won a title with Golden State in 2017, has signed with the Sydney Kings, the Australian team recently announced in a press release. Clark played in 60 games for New Orleans in 2018/19, but has been out of the NBA since then.

Sixers Notes: Maxey, Thybulle, Harden, Millsap

February 16th, 2022 at 7:25am CST by Luke Adams

Confirming a series of reports that were published both before and after last week’s Ben Simmons/James Harden blockbuster, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said on Tuesday that the team viewed it as imperative to hang onto Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle in that deal.

“Yeah, they were critical [to keep],” Morey said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Tyrese absolutely has the chance to be an All-Star in this league. … Thybulle, I think, easily can be Defensive Player of the Year — after Joel (Embiid) wins it first, he told us. … Both of them, I think, the sky’s the limit. And that’s a big reason why we made sure that they weren’t in this trade.”

While the Sixers were never willing to discuss Maxey, the Nets reportedly pushed for Thybulle, ultimately agreeing to accept two future first-round picks in lieu of one of Philadelphia’s promising young players.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

With Harden’s Philadelphia debut delayed until after the All-Star break, the Sixers will only have about a month-and-a-half before the playoffs to adjust to their new-look lineup, but head coach Doc Rivers doesn’t think it will be too challenging to incorporate Harden. “Listen, putting James Harden into an offense is not that hard. It really isn’t,” Rivers said (ESPN story via Bontemps). “I mean, he’s just a terrific basketball player, so you don’t need to overcomplicate it. You know where he’s been great at, you know which direction he wants to go, and so you put him on those sides of the floor.”
After pushing to be traded in two consecutive years, Harden has a situation in Philadelphia that’s as good as it gets for him, according to Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Sielski says that if it doesn’t work out for Harden with the Sixers, he won’t have anywhere else to go, since no other executive in the NBA trusts and believes in the former MVP like Morey does.
Although Harden won’t play until at least next week, Paul Millsap made his Sixers debut on Tuesday, scoring nine points in nine minutes. Millsap didn’t get into the game until the fourth quarter, when Philadelphia was already trailing Boston by more than 40 points.
In case you missed it, we passed along some of Harden’s comments from his introductory presser on Tuesday, including that he still plans to pick up his $47.4MM player option for 2022/23.

Adam Silver Comments On Harden-Simmons Trade, Press Conferences

February 15th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was not a fan of the way new Sixers All-Star guard James Harden or new Nets player Ben Simmons, the centerpieces of a trade for each other last week, forced their way off their former teams’ rosters. In a conversation with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Silver discussed the transaction.

“Players forcing their way out of situations is not new in this league,” Silver said. “I’d love to find a way where to the extent there’s player movement, it didn’t happen in that fashion.”

Silver’s big issue with the deal was the very public nature of the players’ grievances.

“I accept that there will always be conversations behind closed doors, when teams are unhappy, or players are unhappy, [but] the last thing you want to see is for these issues to play out publicly,” Silver said. “One of the things that I continue to do in my role is to think about ways we can improve the system.”

In his first press remarks as a Sixer today, Harden suggested that he had wanted to join All-Star center Joel Embiid in Philadelphia since forcing his way off the Rockets roster during the 2020/21 season, when he was initially shipped to Brooklyn. Harden also allowed that the limited availability of Nets point guard Kyrie Irving had some influence on his decision to demand a trade from the team. Irving has long refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and due to New York’s current vaccine mandate, is not allowed to play at home games for Brooklyn.

Ben Simmons had an interesting press conference of his own today, telling reporters that mental health issues played a big part in his controversial decision to refuse to suit up for 54 games with the Sixers this season prior to the trade.

“I did watch a little bit of James and Ben’s press conferences earlier today,” Silver continued. “And you’re reminded that when you see them sitting up there, on those podiums doing these interviews, these are human beings, who, in both cases, have gone through very stressful situations.”

James Harden Plans To Opt In For 2022/23

February 15th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last Thursday stated that James Harden would pick up his 2022/23 player option as part of last Thursday’s trade to the Sixers, but that didn’t end up happening, as we relayed last Friday.

However, Harden confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that the lack of opt-in had nothing to do with his level of commitment to Philadelphia and was more about an inability to file the necessary paperwork before the trade was completed. Harden can’t pick up his $47.4MM player option for ’22/23 at this point, but can do it once the Sixers’ season is over, and he made it clear today that he intends to do so, as Derek Bodner of The Daily Six tweets.

Exercising that option will put Harden on a path to maximize his earnings over the next five years. By opting out and signing a new five-year free agent contract, he could earn up to a projected $269.8MM. Opting in for 2022/23 and then signing a four-year extension would make him eligible for up to $270.2MM over the same period.

Speaking to reporters today about the trade that sent him to Philadelphia, Harden also claimed that the Sixers were his preferred destination when he was originally traded out of Houston over a year ago.

“Philly was my first choice, it just didn’t happen,” Harden said, per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. “Best big man in the league in Joel (Embiid), and obviously the coaching. Just from top to bottom, it made sense. I’m just happy and blessed that I’m here.

While the Sixers and Nets were widely known to be the finalists in last year’s Harden sweepstakes, the former MVP’s claim that he wanted to go to Philadelphia at that time doesn’t necessarily line up with subsequent reporting on the situation. Just last month, Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote that the Rockets asked Harden his preference and he chose Brooklyn.

In any case, a year later, Harden certainly wanted to be a Sixer more than he wanted to be a Net, and the two teams made it happen last Thursday. Harden, who won’t play until after the All-Star break due to a left hamstring injury, told reporters that was a “collaborative decision” in order to make sure he’s back to 100%, adding that his hamstring “feels really good,” per Adam Zagoria of Forbes.

Here’s more from Harden’s introductory presser as a 76er, via Neubeck and Forbes:

On whether Kyrie Irving‘s vaccination status and part-time availability were factors in Harden’s desire to be traded:

“Very minimal, and obviously me and Ky are really good friends. Whatever he was going through or is still going through, that’s his personal preference. But it definitely did impact the team because originally me, Kyrie and KD (Kevin Durant) on the court and winning covers up a lot of that stuff, but it was unfortunate that we played 16 games (together) out of whatever it was.”

On playing with Embiid:

“We’re both at a high level to where we’ll figure it out. Joel does everything on the floor. So we got guys on our team that are very smart, we communicate and we have coaching that is going to put us in positions to be successful. They have something great already going on, I’m just here to contribute. And I know that I can do that very well. On the court, when you got high-level skilled guys that know the game and all they want to do is win, they’ll figure it out.”

On whether the Sixers can contend for a title this year:

“Hell yeah. There’s a lot that goes into it, it doesn’t happen overnight. Just being here around guys, they have the right mindset, obviously coming from the coaching staff. But after the break, man, it’s go time. As much as I can incorporate and figure things out fast, which probably won’t be long, the better things will be. It shouldn’t take long at all, I pretty much can fit anywhere.”

Ben Simmons: No One To Blame For Situation With Sixers

February 15th, 2022 at 1:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

At his introductory press conference with the Nets today, Ben Simmons said he doesn’t blame anyone in Philadelphia for the way his relationship with the Sixers ended. Addressing the media for the first time in more than 250 days, Simmons said he’s looking forward to playing again after the trade that sent him to Brooklyn last week.

Although there were reports that Simmons was upset over comments made by coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid following the seventh game of last season’s second-round loss to the Hawks, Simmons emphasized that the mental health issues that caused him to pull away from the team started long before that.

“For me, it was just making sure mentally I was right to get out there and play again,” he said (video link). “That’s something I’ve been dealing with, and it wasn’t about the fans or coaches or comments made by anybody. It was just a personal thing for me. That was earlier than that series or even that season that I was dealing with, and that organization knew that. So it’s something that I continue to deal with, and you know, I’m getting there and getting to the right place to get back on the floor.”

Simmons’ answer was much shorter when asked about Embiid — he responded, “No, I did not,” when asked if he talked to his former teammate after the trade was announced (video link). Embiid expressed frustration over Simmons’ situation more than once this season, notes Adam Hermann of NBC Sports Philadelphia, so it’s not surprising that they didn’t have anything to say to each another when Simmons left.

The Nets don’t have a date set for Simmons’ expected debut, but he said he’s “starting to ramp it up” to get ready to return to the court, according to an ESPN story. He told reporters that he hopes to be in uniform March 10 when Brooklyn travels to Philadelphia.

Simmons, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, offered thanks to the Sixers and their fans for supporting him during the six season he played in Philadelphia, the ESPN article adds. He said he spoke with Rivers, general manager Elton Brand and teammate Tobias Harris after the trade went through.

He also expressed excitement about teaming up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, saying the combination “is going to be scary.”

Simmons went through his first shootaround with his new team Monday night and joined his teammates on the bench afterward, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. Coach Steve Nash said it will be a “joint decision” between Simmons and the Nets’ staff on when he resumes playing.

“We have to put him in a position to have the necessary conditioning underneath him and to feel safe with it,” Nash said. “And then he also has to feel confident and comfortable that the time has come. So whenever that is, hopefully there’s a great partnership on those decisions.”

Nets Notes: Durant, Harden, Irving, Trade, Curry, Drummond

February 15th, 2022 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

For much of the season, Nets star Kevin Durant didn’t want to see the team’s Big Three broken up, but it’s clear last week’s James Harden trade wouldn’t have occurred without Durant’s blessing, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

“KD didn’t want to get rid of James,” a person familiar with the situation told Fischer. “But he knew it was over.”

According to Fischer, while Durant was disappointed by Harden’s poor conditioning in training camp and his Media Day comments about wanting to test free agency, the situation was fine for a while. However, with Kyrie Irving unavailable for much of the first half and Durant and Harden taking on increased responsibilities, a strain developed between the two stars, writes Fischer.

Ultimately, the Nets’ brutal recent slump and Harden’s “freelancing behavior” forced Durant to recognize that a change needed to be made, according to Fischer, who says KD had called general manager Sean Marks by last Thursday morning to suggest something needed to be done.

“Kevin’s the one that pulled the trigger with this,” a second source told Fischer. “Kevin’s the one that said, ‘Do this deal.’ There was growing concern that this entire season would be lost and then they’d lose James for nothing.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Durant is consulted on every major Nets decision and was “instrumental” in the team’s selection of Cam Thomas at No. 27 in the 2021 draft, per Fischer. Sources tell Bleacher Report that Durant also lobbied Brooklyn to permit Irving to play in road games after the team initially didn’t allow Kyrie to suit up for any games to start the season.
Irving’s unwillingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to play and the Nets’ decision to allow him to be a part-time player didn’t sit particularly well with Harden, according to Fischer. “Kyrie not being held accountable and Kyrie being allowed to do whatever he wants. James, being his age, knows he doesn’t have any time to waste to get his first championship,” a source close to Harden told Bleacher Report.
Before they agreed to a deal with the Sixers, the Nets hoped to land Matisse Thybulle as part of their trade package and gauged rival teams’ valuations of the young forward, Fischer writes. However, 76ers personnel were adamant about not including Thybulle (or Tyrese Maxey) in any offer.
One front office source who spoke to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com suggested that a difference in playing styles was one factor in why things didn’t work in Brooklyn. “James Harden wants spacing on the court,” the source said. “That’s all he cares about. ‘I need spacing. I need shooters all around me.’ … And Kevin Durant wants defensive guys, because he doesn’t need spacing. He just catches and shoots over people. It’s a different mentality of how to go about it. They’re all right. Of course you want defense and size. But for James Harden to score 40 points and have 15 assists, he needs shooters everywhere and a lob catcher at the rim. So everybody wants to play their way.”
The Nets were in good spirits on Monday after snapping an 11-game winning streak with a blowout win over Sacramento, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Nets guard Bruce Brown suggested a “team-bonding event” in Miami over the weekend helped change the team’s attitude. “The locker room, it’s just a great vibe in there right now,” Brown said. “I don’t know what it is, everything just shifted after the trade deadline. Everybody likes everybody, so it’s just great.”
Seth Curry and Andre Drummond had impressive Nets debuts as starters on Monday and are bullish on the team’s chances to contend, especially once everyone is available, writes Friedell. Brooklyn was without Durant (knee), Irving (vaccination status), and Ben Simmons (reconditioning) for the victory over Sacramento. “We have a great group of guys,” Drummond said. “Guys that are missing right now, we got to wait for them to get healthy, but once everybody gets back I think we’ll be very, very good and make a very good push in the playoffs.”

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

February 14th, 2022 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Several NBA teams typically end up with newly-opened roster spots following the trade deadline. This happens for a variety of reasons. Some teams make two-for-one or three-for-one trades; some acquire players in cap-related deals and immediately cut them; others buy out or release players they weren’t able to move at the deadline.

Whatever the reason may be, there are plenty of available roster spots around the NBA, and it’s a good bet that most of them will be filled before the end of the regular season. Contending teams will want to fortify their depth for the playoffs, while lottery-bound clubs will take fliers on prospects willing to accept multiyear deals that aren’t fully guaranteed beyond this season.

Here, with the help of our roster counts page, is a look at the teams that have open roster spots as of February 14:

Teams with open 15-man roster spots:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics (3)
Charlotte Hornets
Denver Nuggets *
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Miami Heat (2)
Milwaukee Bucks (3) *
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards

* The Nuggets (DeMarcus Cousins) and Bucks (Greg Monroe) each have a player on a 10-day contract. We’re counting those roster spots as “open” because Cousins’ and Monroe’s deals will expire this week.

If we count the Nuggets, exactly half of the NBA’s 30 teams have at least one 15-man roster spot available. Twelve of those clubs have a single open roster spot, while the Celtics, Heat, and Bucks have multiple openings.

Since teams are only permitted to dip below 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time, Boston, Miami, and Milwaukee will all have to get back to that league-mandated minimum before the end of the month.

The other teams on this list aren’t under immediate pressure to add a 15th man, and some may hold off for a little while for financial reasons — or just to wait to see who else becomes available on the buyout market in the next couple weeks.

Some of these clubs – including the Heat with Caleb Martin, the Pelicans with Jose Alvarado, and the Raptors with Justin Champagnie – might use their open roster spot to promote a player on a two-way contract who has earned regular minutes.

Teams with open two-way spots:

Boston Celtics
Dallas Mavericks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns
Utah Jazz

The Celtics (Sam Hauser) and Thunder (Aaron Wiggins) have each promoted a two-way player to the 15-man roster since the trade deadline. The other three teams on this list released a two-way player in January, creating an opening.

In the past, teams haven’t been able to sign players to two-way contracts after January 15, but that restriction doesn’t exist this season, so I expect we’ll see some – if not all – of these teams fill their open two-way slots sooner or later.

James Harden Won’t Make Sixers Debut Until After All-Star Break

February 14th, 2022 at 11:45am CST by Luke Adams

James Harden won’t make his debut with the Sixers until after the All-Star break, the team announced today.

As Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com relays (via Twitter), Harden will continue to rehab a minor left hamstring injury, receiving treatment and participating in on-court training. The 76ers will provide an update on the star guard’s status following the break.

After being acquired from Brooklyn last Thursday in the biggest trade of the NBA season, Harden sat out the Sixers’ home games vs. Oklahoma City on Friday and Cleveland on Saturday. He’ll also miss Tuesday’s game vs. Boston and Thursday’s contest in Milwaukee. The earliest he could suit up for the 76ers would be February 25 in Minnesota.

Harden’s ongoing absence means he’ll also miss this Sunday’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, so commissioner Adam Silver will have to name a second Eastern Conference replacement. Previously, LaMelo Ball was selected to replace Kevin Durant.

There are a number of good candidates to take Harden’s spot, including Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown. I think Allen is the favorite to get the nod, but it’s possible an additional replacement will be required for Zach LaVine, who is seeing a specialist about his knee injury.

The Nets haven’t issued an update on Ben Simmons‘ status, but he also appears unlikely to play this week. That means we probably won’t see either of the two stars involved in last Thursday’s blockbuster between Philadelphia and Brooklyn suit up with their new teams until at least late February.

Sixers Officials Reject Theory Of Replacing Doc Rivers

February 13th, 2022 at 9:33pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks are now 25-32 and rank 12th in the Eastern Conference. The team will return to New York for a four-game homestand on Monday, playing the Thunder, Nets, Heat and Sixers.

Sixers officials rejected the theory of president Daryl Morey eyeing Mike D’Antoni as a future replacement for coach Doc Rivers, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice tweets. D’Antoni coached the Rockets when Morey served as general manager from 2016-20. Rivers has guided the Sixers to a 34-22 record despite not having Ben Simmons this season.

Examining Whether James Harden, Joel Embiid Could Dominate Past Initial Stage

February 13th, 2022 at 6:32pm CST by JD Shaw

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines why he believes the James Harden–Joel Embiid pairing will flourish for the Sixers at first. Pompey also explores whether it could advance past the initial stage, as both Harden and Embiid don’t hold championship experience. Philadelphia acquired Harden and veteran Paul Millsap last week, sending Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to Brooklyn.

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